


Firsts

by SaraJaye



Category: Hey Arnold!
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Tree, F/M, Family Bonding, Gen, Helga's not used to being praised and valued, Meet the Family, Miles and Stella are the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 18:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13863588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Arnold invites Helga to spend Christmas with his family.





	Firsts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [snarky_panda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarky_panda/gifts).



This Christmas would be a double dose of firsts: his first with his parents since he was a baby, and his first with Helga as his "official" girlfriend.

Both had been huge adjustments, even struggles at times. His parents were clingy at first, always wanting to walk to school with him and pick him up, asking all kinds of questions, wanting to tell him stories and cheer at his baseball games. It could be a little embarrassing, especially when the guys laughed, but Harold immediately told him he was part of the club now. "The club for guys whose moms yell during their games," he'd said. "At least your mom's not as loud as mine!"

Besides, he could be just as clingy himself. The first few nights, he'd sneak into their room to watch them sleep and make sure they were really _here,_ that he wasn't dreaming. Sometimes he still dreamed of waking up in the jungle, with everyone pissed at him and La Sombra's gloating ringing in his ears.

Surprisingly, Helga wasn't _that_ much more difficult. She could still be a little standoffish or grouchy, even flinching away when he tried to hold her hand, but these days he could sense it came more from anxiety than pride. Gerald often suggested she was testing his love, but Arnold felt like she was testing _herself_ more than anything. _She's not sure this is real, either, probably._

It was a few days before Christmas now, though, and things had more or less settled. Today, Helga had come with him and his parents to pick out a tree for the boarding house and was helping them decorate it.

"I hope we're not keeping you from your family, Helga," Mom said. "You got to decorate your tree at home, right?" Helga snorted, pulling a red glass ball from the box and spinning it around by its hook.

"Like _they_ care! Olga might, but then she'd just make me hold the boxes while she put everything up _so_ perfectly for Mom and Dad to clap over," she muttered. "Trust me, you're not keeping me from anything. They probably don't even know I've been _gone_ since this morning." Arnold frowned. One thing that hadn't changed much was Helga's terrible relationship with her family, something that had been bothering him more and more ever since he'd gotten his parents back. And since he and Helga had started dating.

"You know what I think," Mom said, "we should have Helga's parents over for dinner some night."

"That's a wonderful idea, Stella!" Dad grinned. "At the rate these two are going, we'll all be family someday." Helga turned redder than the ball she was holding, and Arnold nearly dropped the wooden reindeer he was trying to find a spot for.

"That doesn't sound too bad," he said. "Helga? Maybe just once?" Helga shrugged.

"Sure, if you can stand Dad's table manners and Mom falling asleep on her plate." Arnold tried not to laugh too hard.

"Trust me, Helga, I know all about bad table manners and other dinner table antics. If I can handle Mrs. Kokashka throwing peas at Mr. Kokashka and Mr. Potts building mashed potato towers so he can smash them, I think I can handle your folks," he said. Helga actually smiked.

"Well, that's _one_ thing Dad's never done." She hung the red ball on the end of a branch at last, right next to a silver candy cane. "Oops, that probably looks stupid. N-not that I care!"

"No, it's perfect," Mom said. "They're a good distance apart, and the metal picks up the color nicely!" Dad smiled, pulling something out of his bag.

"Remember this, Stella?" he asked. Arnold blinked.

"Where did that come from?" It was a piece of green clay rolled flat with green blobs on it; Dad turned it over, and Arnold gasped. "Wait, that's..." His name, in Mom's handwriting, and a very familiar year.

"We took a painting class at the community center," Dad said, "your mother and I. We brought you along, and you weren't content just watching us."

"One of the assignments was to paint scenes on slabs of clay, and you wanted to make your own," Mom added. "You'd just turned a year old, you were putting your hand in the paint and started touching the clay, and it was so cute even the teacher couldn't bring herself to stop you."

"When we had to leave for San Lorenzo shortly after, we brought it with us as a good luck charm," Dad went on. "I almost forgot we had it, but...this year, I thought it would make a great Christmas ornament." Helga smiled, a real smile as opposed to an amused smirk.

"That's...that's too _cute._ And so _like_ you, Arnold," she murmured. "I say stick it up there where everyone can see!" Arnold couldn't find it in him to speak. He didn't remember making that ornament, but he remembered going to the community center that day and all those other people making kissy faces and smiling at him. _One of the last things I did with my parents before they disappeared._

They'd kept it. Some nights, he wondered if they even remembered him or questioned whether they _wanted_ to come home, and the whole time they'd kept a silly little thing he'd made when he was a year old.

"Hey...hey, Football Head." Helga nudged his shoulder, his eyes met her surprised ones. "Hey, what's with the water works?" His parents turn to look at him, and Arnold is suddenly aware of the tears running down his cheeks.

"N-no, it's just..." He hurried to brush away the tears, smiling. "I'm so _happy._ I spent years thinking I'd never have this." Seeing all his friends and their parents buying Christmas trees, Gerald buying his dad tie after tie, Harold's mom surprising everyone at lunch with _latkes_ and jelly donuts. Mai Hyuhn visiting her father every Christmas. Seeing Grandma and Grandpa looking at old pictures, then at the tree with tears in their eyes, and accepting the fact that he'd never decorate a tree with his parents.

But here they were, picking through musty cardboard boxes, dusting off ornaments, the ladder ready for when it was time to put the star on. Helga was looking more peaceful and unguarded than he'd ever seen her look before, her arm around his shoulders. And Mom and Dad were hanging his "ornament" where everyone would be able to see it.

"Perfect." Dad smiled. "Now, Helga, what do you think would look best hanging beside it?" Helga blinked, making a surprised noise but keeping her arm where it was.

"Me? Y-you're asking _me?_ "

"Of course, dear," Mom said. "We wouldn't have suggested Arnold invite you to help otherwise." Now Helga was the one tearing up and making every effort to hide it, even as Mom hugged her.

"W-well, of course! I'm one of the smartest kids in class, so...it makes sense you'd want _my_ opinion!" she said, but her voice wavered and she was smiling despite being clearly overwhelmed by all this affection.

She got along so well with Mom and Dad, she wasn't afraid to be more human around them. They liked her ideas. They asked about her life, her classes, didn't compare her to anyone.

_Guess this is a Christmas of firsts for her, too._


End file.
